Cherished
by Tishannia
Summary: Vaan & Penelo Collections, unrelated ;
1. just another day

**Cherished**

**prompt : **candy  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Penelo hummed softly to herself, looking out the large window and admiring the beauty of the day. It was so peaceful -- not only because Vaan was still at work, though he'd be home any minute, but also because everyone bustling around outside was happy.

Speak of the devil. A knock broke her out of her reverie and she turned, smiling, to greet Vaan, only to have a small bag tossed at her. She nearly fell into the wall from surprise.

"Vaan!"

"Sorry, sorry." He said, grabbing her arm. "Migelo said that that's been long overdue…" He trailed off in curiosity. Well, at least he hadn't opened it then, she thought. He's was getting much more mature.

For fun on her part, she turned around so he couldn't see anything when she opened it. A grunt of annoyance came from him but he managed to see over her shoulder anyway.

"Money and… Candy?" Vaan frowned in confusion. "Since when did he ever give us candy as pay?"

Penelo smiled to herself and danced away from him, taking one of the delicious looking sweets and popping it into her mouth. She moaned in delight and laughed. "He doesn't -- he gives _me_ candy. This is _so_ good!"

"It's nice to share, you know." Vaan smirked.

"Ha." She dodged when he lunged at her and laughed. "I don't think so!"

"Penelo…" He whined, smiling.

She backed up into the door and, quickly, opened it, freeing her from the cramped space of their house. Vaan was seconds behind her.

"All this for--" Penelo was cut of when Vaan grabbed hold of both of her wrists with one hand from behind, holding her tightly to him, while grabbing the bag from her. "Candy. Cheater!"

"Not cheating if you play fair." He said, somehow manoeuvring the bag and his free hand so that he was able to grab a piece of the candy and place it into his mouth, returning that moan of delight she'd so deviously given him moments ago.

An evil thought popped into her head. "Considering our position, that sounded pretty wrong."

He'd never jumped away fast enough.

"Penelo!" He choked, but still managed to hold the bag up high and away from her.

She jumped up a couple times before she was able to grab his arm, pulling it down so she could try to get it away from him.

Keyword being _tried_.

"Vaan, would you give it back?" She asked, unsuccessfully pulling it away from him.

"No."

She narrowed her eyes. Fine then -- she could play that way. She took hold of his shoulder and gave herself enough momentum to swing up and around him, her legs landing on either side of him and her arms placed around his neck.

"Give.it.back."

"I can't." He said, grabbing her legs so she wouldn't fall or worse, choke him. The bag was thus held right underneath her thigh.

She reached down and tried to unhook his fingers from the bag. Her thigh slipped a little.

"And I won't." He said, clutching the bag harder.

"Vaan, my thigh!"

"Well get off then!"

"Fine." She used her weight and the fact that he was slightly off balance to her advantage and they toppled over. She cried out slightly when her back hit the concrete and held her head up so she wouldn't smash it in. Vaan, at the last second and to her relief, threw his arms out behind him and on either side of her, holding himself up so he wouldn't crush her.

"Are you okay?"

"Vaan, whyyyy."

By now there were quite a few onlookers watching them with raised eyebrows or appreciative smiles plastered onto their faces. Penelo blushed when she finally noticed. "Vann--"

He proceeded to fall back on top of her.

"Hey!"

"Not a bad arrangement."

"Why do you always act so immature!" Penelo whisper-screamed to him, hoping it would get him off her. He'd gotten a little more… Out-going and laid back after their adventure around Ivalice with the others, but he still reacted when she called him immature.

_Usually_.

"This is pretty good, Penelo. You should try some."

She didn't have to see his face to know he was grinning satisfactorily.

She sighed in defeat and relaxed against the pavement, resigned to her fate. And to her candy's fate.

It was just another day in Rabanastre with Vaan, after all.

* * *


	2. don't need a reason

**Cherished**

**prompt :** snow  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Penelo, tired and feeling rather ghost-like, visibly brightened when she pulled back the curtains and gazed out the window. "Vaan, look!" She squealed excitedly, looking over her shoulder and motioning for him move and stand beside her. He rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.

She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him contentedly as a light burst of fluffy white snow fell from the heavens.

"It's just snow." Vaan said with a sigh, but knew that that little fact didn't really matter or faze her. Not to his surprise, she frowned at his dismissive remark. Snow was an extreme rarity in Rabanastre. It had snowed maybe only two or three times since they'd been born -- at least, that's what the two could dig up from their memories.

A thrill, a rush, ran through Penelo and Vaan grimaced when he saw it in her eyes, sparkling as they were. "Penelo, don't--"

Snow was beautiful, Penelo thought, tuning his voice out for just a moment.

_Just like rain_.

"I want to dance in the snow." She stated and looked up at Vaan, smiling a cute smile and snuggling up to him in a way she figured he wouldn't be able to resist.

And she was right.

He groaned and pulled away from her, walking across the room and trying to busy himself with something. "Penelo..."

"Come on, Vaan. You'll like it. I'll like it."

He faltered a bit at, 'I'll like it'. "You remember what it was like last time you tried to get me to dance."

"Yes." She nodded. "I do. It was perfect!" He opened his mouth to retort and swung his arms up into the air in an 'are you kidding me?' kind of way, so she quickly added, "_I_ loved it. Me. It was perfect for me then, okay? We don't do that much with each other anymore, we're so busy."

He sighed.

She celebrated silently at the victory she knew she'd just earned.

She ran, speedy like lightning and grabbed his hand. The snow could stop anytime, after all. She rushed to the door and swung it open, Vaan stumbling behind her reluctantly.

She had only to walk just outside the door before she sighed and let her shoulders drop when that fear quickly became a reality. She let her eyes roam up and over sky, as if asking, begging for it to continue, but she knew it was useless. It didn't snow in Rabanastre often and when it did, it was usually about this quick of a fall. She turned around in defeat, ready to walk back inside since he would no longer have a reason to dance with her and since she really didn't want to force him, but he pushed her forward lightly.

And suddenly they were dancing -- Vaan's kind of dancing of course, but it mattered little to her.

Penelo looked up at him, smiling tearfully. "Vaan," she laughed. "It's not snowing anymore!"

He smiled back at her and winked.

"I don't _really_ need a reason to dance with you."

* * *


	3. angel in battle

**Cherished**

**prompt : **grace  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

She moved skillfully, with such grace.

Moving lithely, spinning, twirling, all in successful attempts to dodge attacks. She danced, an angel in battle.

He would never forget that first time blows connected with her small body and she fell. The experience of watching her eyes flutter closed in pain, seeking the comforting darkness. The _emotions_ that ran through him -- shock, fear, anger.

Adrenaline.

He beat down on the fiend mercilessly and immediately after it had been vanquished, he was at her side, checking on her, asking a billion questions.

"I'm fine, Vaan." She said, hugging him tightly.

The others gave him sympathetic looks. It had been a learning lesson for them both, though it hit Vaan the hardest. The two friends had fought outside of Rabanastre before, the sandy dunes familiar, but this, given their situation, was so much more _real_.

The thought of losing each other through their journey was unthinkable, but entirely probable.

Ever since then, Vaan had never really gotten past it. Every time he got, he took her hits and he was always at her side, ready to protect her.

Angels were delicate.

Especially his.

* * *


	4. living out a dream

**Cherished**

**prompt : **dreams  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"Vaan... Of course I want to be your sky pirate partner." Penelo said, frowning at the skeptical looking boy that was her best friend. She rolled her eyes as he cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth to refute her words. She said something before he could utter another word. "It's not that... Well, Vaan, I have dreams, you know. I'd like to live some of them out."

His mouth shut abruptly at that.

She smiled and continued the walk she'd been on before Vaan had run up behind her and caught her attention. He kept the pace with her.

"What kind of dreams?" He asked, looking down at her curiously.

"Well..." She started, looking up at the sky and clasping her hands behind her back. "I want to be a professional dancer, or I at least would like to try it out. All those people looking on while I dance my heart out..." She sighed blissfully and twirled around so she was walking backwards.

Vaan smirked. "Well, that's a given. And we both know you can, so... Why haven't you?"

"Timing."

He nodded. "And...? Anything else?"

She averted her gaze and turned back around to walk normally. "I want... A family. I do, I want to have kids. I've been without a family for so long..." She admitted and shook her head and laughed. "But... I don't know if that'll ever happen."

"Why not?" He asked, perturbed by the bitter look that had appeared in her eyes. As quick as it was there, though, it was gone.

"I just don't think... Anyone would want me, you know? I have nothing." She started skipping as she walked, amusing Vaan. "Not that having nothing is a bad thing. I just know that a lot of people -- guys, in my case -- don't exactly want that."

"Well, come on then. What're we waiting for?" Vaan spoke up, jumping in front of her and taking her hands in his. She looked at him questioningly. "I... I can give you all that." He said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Her eyes widened a bit. "What?"

"I can help you live out those dreams. Well, the last one anyway."

Penelo smiled and something inside of her started to soar. "Are you...?" She knew he was never too great with words and he shied away from this kind of stuff, so she didn't really need him to come out and say it, but she wanted to be sure he was sure, that what she thought he was saying was really what he was saying.

"Come on, Penelo. I..." He trailed off a bit quietly. "I love you and... Even if you don't, you're still coming with me." He added, trying to make his confession less of a possibly hurtful rejection.

She felt the prick of tears, but held them back. This wasn't something to cry about, even if they were tears of joy. This was something to be happy about -- and she was. She was on cloud nine now. Hadn't she wished for this to happen most of her life? Hadn't she always wondered if her feelings were reciprocated?

In a throaty voice and bright eyes (try as she might, some tears may have escaped...), she said "I love you, too..." After a seconds hesitation, she lifted their hands into the air triumphantly. "To living out a dream."

He smiled cheekily. "To living out _our_ dream."

* * *


	5. don't wait for me

**Cherished**

**prompt :** familiar  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Everywhere he went, everything he did, she could mirror happily and know that everything would be fine; so long as he was there, by her side, always. Best friends bordering on something more, she was blissful, happy. For once in the last few years, she was feeling like she really _belonged_.

But now...?

It had all changed so fast. How did he expect her to pick herself up and move forward? His last words had been utterly ridiculous!

_'Don't wait for me.'_

"How can I not?" Penelo whispered into the cold air, watching as a puff of warmed air became visible in the startlingly clear night. The stars gave her no solace like they might've before. The heavens were not something she felt like believing in right now.

"What if you're up there?" She cried, feeling the familiar prick of tears sting her eyes. She blinked several times, but it only made her cheeks wet as the tears started to trail blindly down her cheeks.

They'd been followed. Followed when they were supposed to go undercover on a mission for the Lord Larsa. She remembered him saying to them, just before they'd left, to choose their lives over his errand. He expected them to make it back in a single piece. Vaan had insisted, when they'd been confronted by one too many for them to think of being able to take care of, for her to run and leave it to him.

_'What's a sky pirate if he can't even make a simple delivery? But I won't risk you, so go. Now.'_

"Vaan, you're so stupid!" She screamed, falling to a crouch and covering her face with her hands. Sobbing, she thought back to everything they'd shared over the years. How could she have left? He'd been pleading with her as she insisted on staying and he'd broken her resolve. She should've stayed.

Maybe things would be different now if she had.

Maybe he'd still be...

"Don't think like that." She whispered to herself, breaking the silence of the night. Sitting down, she rubbed her eyes furiously, completely intending to bury her sorrow. She had better things to do than cry her heart out. Deep down, she knew she was trying to stay strong because Vaan would've told her to stop crying over him, to take care of herself and not to worry. He would want her to be, and stay, happy.

Laying herself out completely, she started to hum and tune Reks used to play for herself and Vaan when they'd been children.

Eventually, she fell asleep.

* * *

_When she woke, he was there, laying right beside her, looking as though he'd never been gone._

_Maybe he hadn't been._

* * *


	6. rare little moments

**Cherished**

**prompt : **promise  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

_"Yeah, yeah... I promise, alright?" _

_"Good. I'm going to remember this, you know!"_

* * *

"I don't know, Vaan..." Penelo trailed off hesitantly. "It's a little expensive, don't you think?"

He titled his head. "Maybe. But we're leaving in a while for another hunt and bout of pirating -- it can't hurt to have a newer sword with me, can it?"

"I guess not." She sighed, turning and walking away unhurriedly.

"I won't get it if you don't want me to!"

"No, no... Get it." She replied, turning back to face him with a smile, still walking only backwards. "It'll be good, like you said. The better equipped you are, the better chance we have of doing this right."

He nodded and went to pay for it. Penelo faced forward again and looking up into the bright sunlight, watching the birds fly by, carefree, swirling in the sky with the others of their flock. She closed her eyes and let the warmth wash over her. Maybe they'd actually get somewhere this time, do something worthwhile, she thought, trying to distract herself from her growing sadness and disappointment that had absolutely nothing to do with their pirating career and everything to do with Vaan and his obliviousness.

He didn't seem to pay much attention to her -- which was fine, she didn't particularly want him focused on her. But it would nice, from time to time, for him to actually think about her and the part she played in their gallivanting across the world. He just didn't seem to appreciate it.

It was -- _is_ -- his dream, she thought. Why couldn't she be happy he was enjoying it?

Because he was enjoying the _pirating_ and not her and the keeping of her company. She wondered if that was a little too selfish...

"Alright, you ready to go?" Vaan said excitedly, suddenly appearing beside her. She jumped, not expecting his outburst and return so soon. "Are you okay?" He asked, seeing her expression of surprise.

She smiled quickly and nodded. "Yeah, of course. Let's go."

He frowned a bit, but she brushed past him without elaboration of her obvious displeasure. Cover it up, she thought. Just keep it to yourself. The footsteps that she heard start behind her made her feel a bit better -- at least he was still willing to go, despite her momentary clipped tone and tense body.

The walked towards their ship, the _Terra_, without another word to each other. They separated upon reaching it, Vaan going up to the pilot's cabin and Penelo towards the bedroom on the bottom floor. Vaan wouldn't need her up there right now, anyways. Later on.

Slipping onto the comfortable bed, she sighed and stretched out lazily, thinking everything over in her head.

Before she knew it, she was dreaming of a happier time.

* * *

"Penelo, Penelo..." A smooth male voice cut through the dreamy haze she was shrouded in and she drowsily listened to the familiar voice. Something was holding her hand -- another hand, she judged and that made her open her eyes. Blinking slightly, trying to waken herself, she looking down at joined hands.

"How long did I sleep for? I'm sorry..." She sighed, rolling over to face him.

He grinned a little. "It's okay. As long as you're feeling better."

She made a face. "I wasn't feeling anything less than 'better' before."

He nodded slowly. "Sureeee you didn't. I _believe_ you." He said, in such a way that she knew he really didn't believe her at all. Standing, he turned and walked out from the room, leaning back just outside the doorway to deliver one last message for her. "I need you up at the front?"

She nodded, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded and left.

Rubbing her hands over her face, she halted when she felt something cold against her cheek. Bringing her hand back, she spied a shining silver band on her hand. Looking closer, she saw small engravings on it and squinted her eyes to try and make the words -- and pictures -- out.

Together til' the end, V&P.

_Something was holding her hand -- another hand..._

She smiled to herself and sighed. 'Vaan...' She thought, feeling a little bit giddy.

* * *

_"We have to stay together forever, okay?" _

_"Well... We live near each other, why wouldn't we?"_

_"And you'll always like me?"_

_"I don't know... That's a difficult question to answer..."_

_"Vaan!"_

_"Yeah, yeah..."_

_"You promise?" _

_"Yeah, yeah... I promise, alright?" _

_"Good. I'm going to remember this, you know!"_

* * *

Sitting down in the chair beside him, she looked down at her hands she held in her lap and let a moment of silence elapse between them. "You remembered." She said, finally.

Vaan nodded and grinned at her. "Of course I remembered."

Penelo nodded, not sure of what to say.

Vaan took control of the situation, taking her hand in his and lifting it into the air. "Ready for the amazing adventure?" He chuckled. "Again?"

"Whenever you are."

* * *

_Those rare little moments._

* * *


	7. just trying to take care of you

**Cherished**

**prompt : **lullaby  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

The first day they'd met, Reks had always sung her a song; her lullaby, he called it. Whenever she felt cold and lonely, had dealt with her parents' passing, Reks' passing... She sung it to herself, night and day and she felt at peace.

Vaan, whom she'd gotten to know shortly after Reks had died, had become her most trusted friend. Her best friend. When they moved in together, she thought the nightmares would stop and that she wouldn't feel so alone anymore.

She was wrong. They became worse as she slowly started to let her lullaby slip away from her.

Eventually, Vaan had found out what was troubling her so deeply. "Why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?" He asked softly, laying down beside her on her bed and wrapping a strong and reassuring arm around her.

"I didn't want to worry you... And I didn't want to bother you." She admitted, staring at the ceiling, at anything but him and what she thought was his disappointed face. He must think her such a child, so weak...

And suddenly, he was singing her a familiar tune.

Gaping, she turned to face him. He was smiling lazily, just humming along, almost seeming unaware of what he was doing and how much it was affecting her. "Vaan!?" She asked incredulously.

"He told me just before you left, almost as if he knew..." His eyes darkened with sadness, not wanting to say the words aloud. "Anyway, he said it seemed to calm you down more than anything else and so he taught me the song, the tune..." Her eyes were filling with tears and he began to feel uncomfortable. What he doing something wrong? Should he have attempted to bring up this kind of memory? "Look, Penelo, I'm sorry..."

"No, no." She said, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. "No, thank you, Vaan."

"Just trying to take care of you." He grinned, thinking nothing of his words. He started humming again and she lay down once more, already drifting off to the soft rhythm and the light caress of sound in her ears.

And even when the nightmares left her, he never stopped singing to her.

_"Just trying to take care of you."_

* * *


	8. what have you lost?

**Cherished**

**prompt : **what have you lost?  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Penelo sat with Fran and Balthier, waiting for Vaan to return from visiting Ashe. He'd told her this morning that he'd wanted to go and see her before they left for wherever it was they were going -- they weren't exactly sure of their destination at that moment -- and he had yet to come back after a few hours. Nobody seemed to mind, really. Who knew how long they would be gone for this time?

Fran, Penelo noticed, kept shooting the young blonde very meaningful looks. She hadn't commented on it, but seeing as how she hadn't stopped, she figured she should. "What is it, Fran?"

Fran leveled her knowledgeable eyes on her, seeming to be able to look right through her into her very soul, reading her every thought and feeling for just a moment before she looked away. It had been brief, but Penelo knew she'd found what she'd been looking for. Balthier shot her a look that said he felt her endless pain at being read so easily, before turning his attention away from the two women.

"Balthier," Fran said. "Would you excuse us for one moment?"

Balthier grinned and stood. "How did I know this was coming?" He didn't wait for an answer, before he turned and walked away to somewhere he wouldn't be able to hear his friends. When Fran knew they were safe to talk, she gave Penelo a sad look.

"What have you lost, Penelo?"

Penelo blinked.

"You know what I'm speaking of." Fran prodded further, not one to pry but knowing Penelo wanted to get it out there. But was this the right moment?

Penelo looked away. "Nothing. He's safe, right? He survived. That's all I ever wanted."

Fran sent a skeptical look her way, before she shook her head and dropped her eyes to the table.

They both knew that she hadn't just wanted Vaan to come home safely; she'd wanted so much more from Vaan, but he never seemed to see. He never seemed to notice. And now Penelo knew that his heart lay with Ashe and she wasn't so sure she would be able to get it back, even though she knew that Vaan would never get who he wanted. Ashe's heart lay with another.

All she ever wanted was for Vaan to love her like she loved him.

That was all she'd lost.

* * *


	9. just like the butterfly

**Cherished**

**prompt :** butterfly  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"They're so pretty, aren't they?" Penelo asked a bored Vaan, who was busy trying to find a way to escape the frivolity of walking around town with his best friend. He didn't feel _too_ bad about it -- he always went out with her whenever she asked, so what was walking off on one?

"What's pretty?" Vaan asked distantly, not paying attention.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Uh-oh. That tone of voice. Vaan cleared his mind of all thoughts and turned to focus on her. "Of course I'm listening." Vaan scowled.

"Now you are."

He opened his mouth, ready to argue until he was blue in the face, but she continued before he could say anything, so he let it go. This time.

"The butterfly." She said softly, watching the beautiful silvery-blue winged creature fly away into the sky.

"Yeah." He replied, thinking; the butterfly would traverse the world until it's wings could beat no longer... How he wished he could do that. And he would, he would. He had no doubts about that... And she would come with him.

It would be great.

Penelo smiled at him, knowing where his thoughts were taking him. She wished, too, to be like the ethereal insect... Dancing around the world so gracefully, expertly, having onlookers marvel at her...

"We always talked about building our own ship, right?" Penelo said suddenly, her eyes lighting up with an idea.

"Yeah. Why?"

"What if the design was like a butterfly... It would mean something then, you know?"

"As long as it's not too girly... And since you're here that's probably what it'll look like..." He sulked.

"Oh, shut it." Penelo swatted him on the arm playfully. "You know it's a good idea."

"Yeah, yeah... Maybe it is."

They would explore the world, intricately and with skill... Just like the butterfly.

* * *


	10. she would never admit it

**Cherished**

**prompt : **strength  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

He watched her tirelessly and she thought he couldn't see. Day in and day out, she worked hard to push everything back inside, putting on a wonderful show of being carefree and happy.

For a long time, it had worked. Recently, however, the mask had started to slip and she was beginning to lose control. He, who knew her better than anyone else, saw it all happening and as she struggled with herself, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and tell her she had him to lean on forever and always; but he couldn't and she already knew that anyway.

She prided herself on her strength.

She would never admit she needed him, even if she was finally starting to completely unravel before his very eyes.

So he would stand by her and do what he could from the sidelines and maybe, when she finally broke beyond recognition, she would look to him.

He would be there.

* * *


	11. only you

**Cherished**

**prompt : **boyfriend  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

She'd been gone for an _awfully_ long time before she finally came back. Vaan knew instantly that something was wrong when she walked in. He jumped up off of the sofa he'd been brooding on for the last few hours and was by her side in a second. "Where have you been? Why were you gone so long? What's wrong? I know something's wrong, so just cooperate and tell me because we don't really need to stand here and fight all morning, since, you know, it's two in the _morning_ and all and--"

"Vaan, please!" Penelo cut in with a scream, pushing him away from her. "Stop babbling at me, okay?" There was an edge to her voice he didn't quite like.

Well, okay, he thought. She'd only yelled at him like that once before in their years long friendship and that was on the day that some stupid kids had decided it might be fun to follow her through the streets, cat-calling and making sick remarks. Tonight, she'd been out with a guy.

A guy Vaan didn't like for many reasons, the top one being that he was... Well, a guy. After Penelo. Almost instantly, he was ready to tear the idiot apart, never mind the fact that he hadn't heard her say anything about him doing or saying anything to her.

"What did he do?"

"He-- Wait, what?" Penelo shook her head exasperatedly and threw her hands in the air. "Nothing, he didn't do anything."

Vaan sighed and grabbed her wrist when she turned to walk away. Just as quickly as he grabbed her, he let go as if she was diseased, for she cried out in pain. Knowing that he hadn't gripped her hard at all, he made a grab for her arm to check her wrist, but she backed away from him too quickly. "What's wrong with your wrist?"

She narrowed her eyes and he could see she was fighting with herself not to hold it to try to numb the pain a little bit. "Nothing, you grabbed me, Vaan. Hard. That's all, now, please--"

He scoffed. "Hardly. I know I'm pretty stupid most of the time Penelo, but this is more than a little insulting, okay? I wouldn't have asked you what was wrong if I didn't know you well enough to see that something _was_ wrong _and_ I want to know what happened to your wrist."

"What is this? And what gives you the right to demand things from me!?"

"Can't you just tell me what happened?" He sighed. "You should've been back four hours ago. It's two in the morning and you've had me sitting on that couch biting my nails off because I didn't know where you were or if something had happened..." He trailed off.

For a moment, he thought he'd finally broken past the resistance.

"I..." The breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to worry." Her eyes filled with tears and she fled to her room, locking the door, locking him out.

"God damn it." He whispered fiercely and he refrained from hitting something, refusing to upset her any further. "Fantastic, Vaan. You've got some good skills there, pushing her into a corner and trying to force her to tell you whatever the hell you want to know." He berated himself aloud and he couldn't stop himself from coming back to the thought of her wrist and what that could mean. He was shaking, too, he noticed and he fought to control it.

He heard the shower go on and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Yes, he was tired, but he wasn't sleepy at all, not now. Knowing that trying would be futile, he decided to lay himself out on the couch and he let himself relax a little as he stared out the large window at the moon and the stars, faintly misted over with a very thin blanket of cloud, thinking of her and only her.

He heard the shower go off a little while later and then there was silence.

He didn't know how much time passed before he heard her door open. He stopped himself from moving, though he wanted nothing more than to get up and look at her and give her a hug and apologize and everything else he generally disliked having to do to make her feel better since he was always being ordered to do so; this time he wanted it so badly and he was confused, but he was willing to do whatever he had to to make her feel better.

Anyways, who said she was coming out to see him? If he was her, right now, he'd probably want nothing to do with him for a few days, maybe a few weeks.

He was surprised then, when she sat herself down beside him on the couch without him noticing her making her way over. "God, Penelo, where's the thunder that usually accompanies your feet?" And then, of course, realizing that that was probably not going to help him right now, he quickly apologized. "Sorry, I..."

"I'm sorry about before." Damn, her voice was shaky. She wasn't going to cry? He hardly knew what to do to get past the panic when she cried! "It was unfair--"

"No, _I'm_ sorry, I was unfair. It's your business what happens when you go out, I know that, I just..." His eyes roamed to find her hand, but when he found it, he could hardly see in the darkness anyway. "Can I...?"

She held her arm out and he gently took her wrist, feeling the bones. He didn't ask what happened, just if she wanted him to heal it for her.

She nodded, "I was going to, but... I was upset so I figured I'd better leave it in case I only made it worse." She said quietly and she said nothing else, even when her hand was fixed. She simply sat there beside him and he was still laid out, looking out the window with her and occasionally sparing her glances.

Alright, so maybe more than occasionally.

"He kept asking me to do things... First we went to the movie, like we planned... Then he asked me to dinner and we were talking and I found I didn't like him as much as I thought I would. He seemed so nice and quirky... Sweet, I guess, but... Anyway, he wanted to go for a drive, so we did and we ended up to going to the theatre; they were holding a dance there, which was fine except that he refused to leave when I asked him to. So... I said I was leaving and he got upset, saying I didn't like him enough, he could tell and that he was stupid for letting me string him along or something like that." She sighed, taking a breather. "He grabbed me, hard and he said I owed him another date or something, he was a little drunk. Some guys got him off me and I... Walked home."

"Fucking asshole -- what's his name again?"

"Vaan, no, come on." She laughed a little. "It's not a big deal, it's done. I doubt I'll be seeing him again and if I do, I doubt I'll be alone. But it's sweet that you care enough to want to hurt him for me."

"I'd kill the bastard." He spat, sitting up. "So he didn't do anything else." He saw her shake her head, her braids flipping this way and that. "Better not of..." He muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

She smiled in the darkness, a smile he couldn't see that would have revealed a lot.

"Come here." He said suddenly and she was shocked to see him holding his arms out for her. "Yeah, yeah, I know the look you've got on your face right now and I don't appreciate it. Besides... whatever. The offer is almost out."

Penelo giggled and snuggled up to his chest, completely relaxing against him when his arms went around her. He was the only one who'd ever made her feel this way, all at the same time, she realized. Warm, safe, secure... Loved. "You don't have to get so upset, you know. If you're so uncomfortable, you shouldn't do it."

"Who said I'm uncomfortable?" He asked, tightening his hold on her slightly.

"Right, I forgot for a second there that you're always at ease." She said a little sarcastically. They indulged in silence before a quickly falling asleep Penelo asked, "why do I pick the jerks?"

"We're all jerks. You're just not looking hard enough to find someone who's like m--" He halted immediately, not believing that he'd been about to say that. "Er..."

"Like you?" She asked quietly, before yawning. "Yeah..." She sighed happily, succumbing to darkness. "I guess I do want you."

* * *


	12. that girl is dangerous

**Cherished**

**prompt : **badminton  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"Vaan, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, for what? The fifth time now!? I wanna switch partners!" Vaan yelled, aimed towards the two others on the field with him and Penelo; Basch and Balthier. "Don't tell me it's too soon, either." He added before either of the men could disagree.

Basch couldn't speak for laughing so hard. Vaan would have been in shock over the sight if he wasn't so angry.

"Vaan, I said I was sorry!" Penelo cried, holding her hands against her cheeks, her eyes wide. "Maybe I just shouldn't play anymore."

"I like tha--" Started Vaan, but he was cut off by Balthier.

"Don't be ridiculous, Penelo. Smack some more sense into your partner there!"

"Why you--" Vaan bellowed, dropping his makeshift badminton racket to lunge at the smirking pirate.

"VAAN!" Penelo screamed. "Leave him alone!" She ran quickly after the two boys, her racket held high in the air, leaving Basch by himself. Beside him, sitting on the ground resting, were Ashe and Fran, shaking their heads.

"This is the last time we let them do this." Ashe decided, looking towards Fran for agreement.

"I quite like the sight of Balthier and Basch being reduced to cackling children. It's better than their otherwise mouthy counterparts."

"Well... It's fairly dangerous between these four, though." Ashe continued. "Badminton is expected to be one of the least dangerous sports..."

"Ashe, when will you learn?" Fran shook her head, disappointed. "Anything involving Penelo is usually dangerous, be it cooking, shopping... Now we know recreational activities should be avoided."

"You're right."

"BALTHIER, GET BACK HERE!"

"VAAN, LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The resounding whack from across the field signaled Penelo's victory.

* * *


	13. better than planned

**Cherished**

**prompt : **singing  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

Penelo was singing. Again.

It wasn't like Vaan didn't appreciate her singing voice -- he told her frequently that he actually found it soothing to his ears -- but sometimes... sometimes she took it too far; above and beyond, in fact! This was turning out to be one of those times. Off key, obnoxiously loud and surprisingly, dancing along to herself, she was becoming more and more of an annoyance as she went on with the singing.

Maybe it was because they were in the air right now. Maybe.

"Penelo?"

"Yeah Vann?" She breathed airily, twisting around to look at him.

"Who sings that song, Penelo?" He grit out, being careful to keep his voice level. He did want to come out of this situation relatively unscathed, after all.

"Uh... Natasha Bedingfield?"

"_Can we keep it that way!?_" He bellowed, pulling hard on the ships controls.

Blinking, she sat down beside him as her face contorted into that expression he knew screamed 'run Vaan!' He supposed he should attempt to head the rage off. "Look, I can barely concentrate right now and you--"

"Shut up, Vaan!" Penelo screamed, punching his arm and stalking away, most likely in search of an area where she could let loose her rage... which she certainly had an abundance of now.

"Well," he muttered to himself. "That actually went a lot better than I thought it would. Ha!"

* * *


	14. one of those unhealthy obsessions

**Cherished**

**prompt : **unnatural  
_Vaan & Penelo_

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

* * *

"Is that really necessary, Penelo?" Vaan asked, jaw gaping as she opened the cabinet and added one more item to the contents inside. "You could've used that money for something a lot more useful than that!"

"Oh come on, you know we need them. What do you expect us to do the next time we have one of _those_ days?" She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm the only one who ever buys them and you're the only one complaining about how we don't have _this_ one or _that_ one. Well, maybe next time we will have this or that because I'm always out buying them!"

"We can always find something else to do! How many do you have now!?"

"Ummm... Hang on." She grinned, opening the doors again, setting to work counting.

He sighed. "I didn't actually mean for you to... count them..." He muttered, leaving the room.

Some time later, she walked into the kitchen to find him attempting to make a lunch for them. "Sooo... I finished counting!" She announced excitedly. "You won't believe this!"

"Dear god, just tell me." He said, not once looking up from his task. He was scared to see how happy she actually was, because he knew it was going to be some very wrong number.

"One hundred fifty-seven!"

He would've fallen over and cried if he hadn't known it was going to be so outrageous. "One hundred fifty-seven DVD's! That's unnatural, you realize that, right!?"

* * *


End file.
